The Emperor's New Groove: The Ultimate Groove (Widescreen)

Originally developed as an epic called Kingdom of the Sun, The Emperor's New Groove lost scale and most of Sting's song score (some of which can be heard on the soundtrack) on its way to the screen. The end result is the lightest Disney film in many a moon, a joyous romp akin to Aladdin in its quotient of laughs for kids and adults. The original story centers on the spoiled teenage emperor Kuzco (David Spade), who enjoys getting the best of his Aztecan subjects. When he fires Yzma (Eartha Kitt), his evil sorceress, she seeks revenge and turns Kuzco into a llama with the help of her hunk of the month, a lunk named Kronk (Patrick Warburton). Alone in the jungle, the talking llama is befriended by Pacha (John Goodman), who has just been told to vacate his pastoral home by the human Kuzco. What's an ego to do? That's pretty much the story and the characters--simple, direct, fun--a Disney film on a diet. For any fan of the acidic humor of Spade, this is essential viewing. As narrator of his tale, Kuzco uses a sarcastic tone to keep the story jumping with plenty of fun asides (he even "stops" the film at one point to make sure you know the story is about him). Even better is character actor Warburton (Elaine's stuck-up boyfriend on Seinfeld), who steals every scene as the dim-witted, but oh-so-likable Kronk. There's even a delicious Tom Jones number that starts the film off with a bang. --Doug Thomas

Producer Randy Fullmer and director Mark Dindal literally run through each department at Disney Animation Studios to show us how their feature was created. While this is a more energized approach (and in tune with the film's spirit), the effort is never as intrinsically funny as the Pixar (Toy Story) gang's behind-the-scenes DVDs. This "Ultimate Edition" is laid out as in previous deluxe Disney DVDs to examine the development and art of the film, including three deleted sequences. With one vital new feature, you can select a tour "Groove" that takes you through 25 minutes of highlights of the filmmaking process instead of clicking through the DVD menus. Unfortunately, the disc does not dig into the origins of the film, originally developed as a musical epic called Kingdom of the Sun. There are only a dozen nondescriptive art drawings that entice us. Instead of illustrating how a massive change in tone was successfully made, Disney just looks the other way. Fans of the final movie should enjoy this two-disc set (especially the conversational tone of the commentary), but this is hardly an "ultimate edition." --Doug Thomas

Best Song, -Sting- "My Funny Friend and Me". -- Critic's Choice Award, December 20, 2000

Nominated for Best Original Song, "My Funny Friend and Me" (Music: Sting and David Hartley, Lyrics: Sting). -- HFPA-Golden Globe Awards, December 21, 2000

Nomination of David Spade for "Voice from an Animated Movie". -- Kids Choice Award

Nomination of Eartha Kitt for Best Supporting Actress. -- Black Reel Awards, January 26, 2001

Nomination of original score "My Funny Friend and Me" by Sting and David Hartley. -- Oscars